The goal of this qualitative, descriptive, exploratory study is to explore road safety experts and adolescents perceptions of current public awareness campaigns and road safety prevention programs aimed at adolescents, in order to find ways to prevent car accidents. Green & Kreuter’s Precede/Proceed Planning Model (2005) is the frame of reference used. A focus discussion group composed of eight adolescents and semi-directed interviews with three road safety experts were conducted. The results show very few similarities between the perceptions of adolescents and those of road safety experts. However, both agree on vital aspects of road safety, such as risk-taking during adolescence, and the involvement of parents and school environments. Also, the road safety experts comments were very similar to each other.
The results of this study are important for people responsible of prevention campaigns and people working with this clientele. It provides research avenues and action plans focused on the prevention of car accidents in order to decrease the number of car accidents involving young drivers.